TOP TEN ICONIC SPORTING VENUES
There are venues across the world which have become truly iconic in the world of sport, carrying a mystique that simply isn’t found in other venues.
It may be due to a rich history, a unique design or a venue may gain fame due to the fact that many a sports betting upset have occurred within it’s boundaries. Whatever it may be, there are sporting places which are just as much as, if not more of, an attraction for some fans as the actual event itself.
St Andrews
St Andrews is the spiritual home of golf and one of the oldest courses anywhere in the world. The 18th hole is probably one of the most famous holes in golf and the famous Swilken Burn has snatched defeat from the mouth of victory for so many of the years. There is no definite date when golf was first played at St Andrews, but it is thought to have been between 1506-1552. Many champions have graced the fairways, but only a handful have won The Open more than once here. Most recently, Tiger Woods lifted the Claret Jug at St Andrews in 2005 for the second time. This had followed his earlier victory in 2000 where some golf betting fans had already placed bets at 500/1 that he would win an Open at St Andrews – after seeing him play as a 16 year old!
Augusta
Famed for its lightning fast greens, treacherous water hazards and sheer beauty, Augusta and the US Masters is widely regarded as the pinnacle of international golf. It was founded by Bobby Jones and opened in 1933. To this day it remains probably the most exclusive golf course in the world. The course has numerous iconic features such as Rae’s Creek, the Crow’s Nest and Amen Corner that regular visitors have become attached to. Augusta has proved a graveyard for many over the years although spread betting punters have won thousands opposing certain players in-play as they have crumbled through Amen Corner.
Santiago Bernabeu
The Stadio del Santiago Bernabeu is Spain’s best known stadium and has held three European Cup Finals. Work on the stadium started shortly after the war in 1944 and it was down to Don Santiago de Bernabeu who believed that the previous stadium was too small for a club of Real Madrid’s ambitions. The capacity currently stands at just over 80,000, but it has held well over 120,000 in the past. The glory years of the 1950’s brought their own rewards to both the stadium and supporters and in 1982 the Bernabeu held the World Cup Final between Italy v West Germany.
Camp Nou
Holding 98,787 people, the Camp Nou – which means ‘New Field’ in Catalan – is Europe’s biggest stadium. It is the home of FC Barcelona and has been their place of worship since it was built between 1954-1957. In the home of Gaudi, Camp Nou was heralded as a new era for Barcelona in their battles against the central Spanish Government and in particularly their hated rivals, Real Madrid. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the stadium there are plans for extensions that could raise the capacity to 120,000. Highly regarded as the best team in Europe Barcelona’s Champions League final victory over Arsenal in 2006 was a tremendous result for football spread betting fans worldwide.
Maracana
Although open to debate, the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro is widely regarded as the largest stadium in the world. Although its capacity is currently only 95,000, it was the 1950 World Cup which truly underlined the sheer size of the Maracana. An estimated 173,830 supporters piled through the turnstiles in the crunch game against Uruguay, however more realistic assessments of the attendance put it at over 210,000! There have been a number of disasters over the years including a wall collapsing in 1992 which killed three supporters, but the stadium has now re-opened following development and is known as the Maracana Arena.
Lord’s
Similar to St Andrews, Lord’s is the undisputed home of cricket. Situated in North London, the famous ground is home to the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and was named after Thomas Lord, the founder. Interestingly, Lord’s was originally on a different site and only moved to St John’s Wood in 1813. Lord’s is always one of the test match venues during England series and is also the home to Middlesex County Cricket Club. Members of the MCC are famed for their red and yellow blazers and have always adhered to the notion of cricket as a gentleman’s game. There was outrage in recent times at the allegations of ball tampering and match fixing linked to betting rings overseas.
MCG
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is one of the largest cricket grounds in the world, currently holding just under 100,000 spectators. The ground’s history goes back to 1853, but it has undergone many renovations in the past 150 years. The ground, home to the Melbourne Cricket Club, has also hosted a number of other sports including Australian rules football, rugby union, rugby league, football and even baseball. Its record attendance was 130,000 in 1959 and still remains a Mecca to Australian sport to this day. The MCG is traditionally host to Boxing Day Test Match every year and thousands of UK spread bettors stay up on Christmas night to place bets on the match.
Monaco
Monaco – widely regarded as the playground of the rich and famous – each year hosts undoubtedly the most unique and urban-based Grand Prix. First run in 1929, it is a glamorous event that sees the streets of the Principality turned into a racetrack as drivers speed their cars around tight hair pins and bends at tremendous speed. The course itself has never changed during its illustrious history which is unusual for race circuits and the Monaco Grand Prix is always the biggest betting heat of the Formula 1 season. Spread betting enthusiasts in recent years have always heavily supported the front two drivers on the grid as overtaking on this circuit is notoriously tough.
Wimbledon Centre Court
Until recently, Wimbledon’s Centre Court was also regarded as the home of tennis. It was opened in 1922 and was always used for the finals of both the men’s and women’s singles as well as all the double’s finals. Wimbledon is one of four major tournaments and is the only one to be played on grass. Nearly as famous as the strawberries and cream that are found throughout the tennis club, is the weather and frequent delays in play. Sporting Index have offered spread bets in recent years on the number of rain breaks in the tournament. Recently, Centre Court has been closed and renovated over the past year and a new retractable roof should be in place by 2009. Current champion Roger Federer has won the last five Championships and is arguably tennis’ greatest ever player – starting the tournament at odds of around 2/5!
Madison Square Garden
An iconic sporting arena, but nearly as famous for the music concerts it has hosted over the years. Situated in lower Manhatten, ‘The Garden’ as it is affectionately known to New Yorkers is home to the New York Knicks for basketball and the New York Rangers in the NHL hockey league. The Garden was first opened in 1925, but there have been four subsequent versions of it around the city. The current Garden is in downtown Manhattan, situated next to Pennsylvania Station. People have been confused over the years as to why it is not a garden or related to Madison Street or Square.
